My husband and I are known for going, going, going on vacation. We try to pack as much as we can in the time that we have. This trip isn’t any different. We walked all over the city of Seoul today. When we leave tomorrow, I will leave with a smile on my face, feeling confident that we explored and experienced a lot.
Before coming to South Korea, I asked a friend for recommendations of places to go. She gave us several ideas, that really helped to guide our trip. We are so thankful for our friends!
After a quick breakfast at the Airbnb, we headed out to see Sungnyemun Gate, a huge structure whose name means the gate of exalted ceremonies. Built between 1396 and 1398, it served as a place for greeting and seeing off envoys sent by the Chinese emperor. It was a great start to our day, as it was impressive, easily accessible, and beautiful. My son got out his binoculars to peer at the figures on the corners of the roof and we all marveled at the amazing painting on the ceiling of the gate.
We arrived at Namdaemun Market just as it was opening up. The stalls were packed full of wares - purses, clothes, household items, and more. There were food stalls as well, many with food cooking outside and lots of dried fruit and veggies. Even though everything wasn’t open, the market was very interesting to wander through.
Thanks to our friend, we knew that Deoksugung Palace offered a changing of the guard ceremony at 11 am. So we headed there next. As we approached, we noticed the area was very busy and it appeared a festival was going on. We found the gate in plenty of time, but didn’t see any guards or people dressed in traditional garb. After inquiring, we were informed that the ceremony was canceled due to the Gay Pride Festival taking place across the street at Seoul Plaza. We quickly realized the festival wasn’t the issue. It was the herds of protestors and police presence that caused the cancellation. Despite the vast number of people advocating for their beliefs, everything was very peaceful. We stepped into the festival to show our support and were rewarded with butterfly fans that were cherished all day. My husband was a bit surprised by the number of protesters until he recalled the popularity of conservative Christianity in Korea.
Feeling disappointed about missing the ceremony, we went to lunch. My husband, the most devoted vacation researcher I've ever come across, found an amazing noodle and dumpling place for lunch. The restaurant offered 4 items on the menu. Well, that’s all it needed to offer because it was packed with people and those people were very happy eaters. The dumplings were tender and flavorful. The noodles were cooked to perfection in broth, which made them so delicious. We also had little plates of pretty spicy kim chee. Once you scraped off the chili seeds, it was really delicious and was a great compliment to the meal. Both of us finished our kim chee, but didn’t request more from the lady walking around with a container of seconds.
While at lunch, my husband realized that we had another opportunity to see the guard change ceremony. If we made sure to leave our next destination by 1:45, we could still see the ceremony at a different location from the original plan. Perked up by the news and our full bellies, we headed back out. But before we could continue on our trip, we had to make a quick stop for some rose shaped ice cream (strawberry and yogurt flavor). The ice cream wasn't just beautiful, it was also delicious! Perfect for such a hot day.
After our treat, we made our way to Changdeokgung Palace. We wandered around the grounds of this palace that was built in 1405, destroyed in 1592-98, then rebuilt in 1610. The buildings and grounds were interesting, as I pondered what life there must have been like. It’s hard to describe the beautiful buildings and truly capture the immensity of everything. We were very interested to learn that the King and Queen kept separate residences, with a building in the middle where they would dine and entertain together. Off on another part of the property was a hall built for a beloved concubine of one of the Kings.
Despite the heat, we continued on our trek. We arrived at Sumunjang just in time for the changing of the guard ceremony. The effort was entirely worth it, as the ceremony included costumes, huge drums and various musicians, flags, and weapons. My son was so enthralled. This was undoubtedly his favorite part of the day (except for maybe the treats we indulged in). For the rest of the day, he reenacted the ceremony again and again. I'm so glad my friend recommended this activity.
At this point, we were so hot and tired, we could hardly stand it. At over 90°, we were fading. Luckily, there’s a plethora of treats around this city. We decided that shaved ice was the way to go and headed in that direction. The place we decided upon didn’t have “shaved ice”. They had “snowflakes”. Their super soft, scrumptiously topped, bowls of cold delight was just what the doctor ordered. We chose their best seller, snowflakes topped with kinako (roasted soybean powder), mochi, slivered almonds, and sweetened condensed milk. I really, really, really enjoyed this treat!
Feeling refreshed, we swung by the Bank of Korea Money Museum to learn about the national currency, life of currency, and currency around the world. This free museum is housed in a designated cultural heritage site. The building is beautiful. The exhibits are interesting. It may not be on most people’s must see list, but we really enjoyed it!
As we headed back toward the Airbnb, we walked through Namdaemun Market again. In the early evening, it was a completely different market than we had passed through earlier in the day. The center of the streets were filled with additional vendors and there were so many more people. This felt more like the markets I was expecting, with the energy to match.
After dropping our purchases off at the Airbnb, we headed out to dinner. Similar to Korean BBQ, Samgyeopsal is cooked right in front of you at the table. The big difference is Korean BBQ is beef and Samgyeopsal is pork belly. The restaurant served 8 slices of pork belly, each one marinated in a different sauce. While delicious, I have to say I preferred the Korean BBQ.
When we got back to the Airbnb, I realized that I unfortunately got a souvenir that I didn’t want - a sunburn! All that running around in the hot sun left it’s mark. Well, at least we’re in the land of aloe vera - which my husband quickly ducked out and bought for me. Bless him.
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